Sunrise Church

In today's text, we see what happens when an individual is not a victim of their flesh, but is, instead, driven by what God wants for them whether in matters of purity or the ways in which we live our lives day-to-day.

In the hundreds of prayers in scripture, we see that, as one commentator puts is, “prayer becomes a means of bringing our vision and desires into line with God’s will (rather than vice versa).” (Holmes, Michael; The NIV Application Commentary: 1 and 2 Thessalonians) 

Paul is encouraged by the faithfulness of the Thessalonians while navigating affliction and spiritual opposition.

Paul's faithfulness is a testament to the motives and marks of a faithful gospel messenger.

We may be tempted to live our lives for ourselves, but if that’s how we feel most comfortable living, we may find the Kingdom of God an undesirable place. However, if our hearts long for that Kingdom, then we will live according to the hope of that Kingdom in this life. 

Not much has changed for Christians today compared to the Thessalonian Christians. The challenges and threats faced in the early days of the Thessalonian church continue to be faced by Christians today and Paul's letters to the Thessalonians seeks to bolster the faith of the fledgling church.

Life in America for Christians is more like life in Babylon than life in the Promised Land.

Christ's justification renders the justified at peace with God, giving hope in suffering, an avoidance of God's wrath and reconciliation with the Father.

Jude’s call to us to build ourselves up in the faith, pray in the Spirit, remain in God’s love while we await the coming mercy and, while we wait, let us hold out the message of God’s mercy, grace and forgiveness to those in need for Christ is deserving of all glory, majesty, dominion and authority forevermore.

In our day, with the flow of information so steady, we treat it as though it is nothing. We listen to lies and conspiracies and give our minds to those that mock our Savior and would seek to lead us astray. We give them our eyes and ears for a host of reasons, but at the heart is a desire for something new or something that satisfies us, but its end is our destruction.